Scintillating Summer

'Full Moon Procession'    oil,  8x10 inches

 

Greetings and Happy Summer!

It’s well into June so it must be summer and what a summer it is! It’s time for barbeques in the courtyard, pool parties, balmy nights and a spectacular Super Moon. These past couples of months have been fruitful and fun with activities including plein air painting workshops, exciting group shows and even a prestigious award!

I recently returned from teaching an awesome five-day workshop at Esalen in Big Sur. Can’t tell you what a pleasure it is to teach there! We had gorgeous weather by the seaside, ate double portions of organic chocolate cake, had three scrumptious square meals per day provided for us on oaken tables in a cafeteria reminiscent of Rivendale (if the Tolkienian elves had a bar stocked with Napa Valley wine that is). We soaked by starlight in cliffside hot springs overlooking the Pacific Ocean, loosened some old knots with a deep tissue massage, went skinny dipping in a heated saltwater swimming pool under a New Moon and somewhere in there I managed to teach a plein air workshop! Don’t feel bad if you couldn’t make it this time. The good news is I’ll be returning to Esalen in October! Make sure to register early. This workshop is limited to 12 students and spaces tend to fill up fast!
For more workshop info and to register online click here.
Below are a few workshop pics I’m delighted to share. Enjoy!
(To view additional fun pics of the workshop please visit my Facebook page)

 Esalen Plein Air Painting Workshop - June 2013

First day of workshop

The beautiful Esalen gardens

Assisting student during critique

 Susie painting breathtaking ocean view

The Esalen baths

My awesome students!
Clockwise from upper left: Samantha, Don, Debbie, Patti, Kirsten, Catherine, 
Usana, Adrienne, Kristen, Jodie, Vanessa, Judi, Susan, Jennifer and Ben
(Susie and Beverly missing from pic)

CURRENT AND UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS:

Oil Painters of America 1st Summer Salon

I am delighted to be participating in OPA's Inaugural Summer Salon! 

My new painting 'Full Moon Procession' (see image at top of post) is currently on display at the lovely Crooked Tree Arts Center. 

For more info click here

Abend: The Renovation

'El Cid'    oil, 8x8 inches

My painting 'El Cid, View from Balcony' will be included in Abend Gallery's The Renovation show.
This upcoming exhibition will showcase the gallery artists' stellar new works.
The opening reception will coincide with the unveiling of the gallery's beautiful renovations.
Opening reception is July 19th from 5 to 9pm.
For more info click here

RECENT AWARD!

Salon International 2013

'Hallows Eve Revelry'   oil, 12x16 inches

I’m delighted to announce that my painting ‘Hallows Eve Revelry’ received the Jury’s Top 60 award from Greenhouse Gallery's Salon International exhibition! 


2013 WORKSHOPS:

I will be teaching my last plein air workshop for 2013 this coming autumn.
I am happy to be returning to Esalen, Big Sur a second time this year!
Workshop dates are October 13th - 18th, 2013.
For more info and registration details click here

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Thanks so much for taking the time to read my blog. It’s time to head out to the studio to get some painting done however the tricky part is staying disciplined while being tempted to take the day off and go rollerblading at Venice Beach! Ahhhhh, summer in LA.
Hope you have a sultry, sensuous and sensational  summer!
See you in the Fall, y’all!

Spring Has Sprung!

'Versailles Launderette'   oil on panel,  8x8 inches (SOLD)

 Greetings and Happy Spring!

Spring is here, kind of, and never before has the season been more metaphorically linked to it’s bouncy name. It keeps swinging back and forth between Winter and Summer like some kind of giant elemental slinky. To top it off, outer space is throwing giant meteors and asteroids at us. Saw one over LA about a month ago, Ben thought it looked like a firework over Los Feliz, but I knew better.  Doesn’t faze me though, I’ll paint either way. Bring it on wacky weather! It’s still early but it’s shaping up to be another exciting year with sizzling spring group shows, invigorating plein air workshops and recent awards and accolades. Here is a brief recap including detailed info of my upcoming shows and events:

CURRENT AND UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS:

Small Gems - 8x8"

'The Little Dictator'   oil on canvas panel,  8x8 inches

Two of my miniatures are currently showing at Waterhouse Gallery’s 'Small Gems' group show. 

To view some wonderful small gems created by big talent click here

Salon International 2013

'Hallows Eve Revelry'   oil on canvas panel,  12x16 inches

I am excited to share that my painting ‘Hallows Eve Revelry’ has been selected for the Salon International Exhibition hosted by the Greenhouse Gallery.

Opening reception is on Friday, April 12th, from 5 to 8pm.

For more info and to view online exhibition click here

22nd Annual Juried Exhibition

'Asphalt Alliance'   oil on panel,  20x24 inches

I will additionally be participating in the OPA 22nd Annual Juried Exhibition hosted 

by InSight Gallery. 

Opening reception is on Saturday, May 18th, from 5 to 8pm.

For more info and to view online exhibition click here

RECENT AWARDS AND ACCOLADES:

Painting is my passion, which is why I’m extremely delighted to announce that I’ve been recently elected as a Signature Member to the prestigious Oil Painters of America! I am very honored to be included amongst such outstanding and talented artists!

My new painting ‘Versailles Launderette’ placed as Finalist for the February 2013 Raymar Art Contest judged by the venerable Nancy Guzik!

To view February Finalists click here

2013 WORKSHOPS:

I am pleased to announce that my Ojai workshop in April and my Big Sur workshop in June have both reached full capacity, though you may still sign up for the waiting lists if you are 

interested in either (or both) workshops. 
I will be teaching another plein air workshop this coming autumn. I am happy to be returning to Esalen, Big Sur a second time this year!

The scheduled dates are from October 13th - 18th, 2013

For more info and registration details click here

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Thanks so much for taking the time to read my blog! Here’s to a brand new Spring in the year of the Snake! Shed that skin baby, shed it! It’s the time to revel in new things like budding flowers, moist dew on grass and fuzzy caterpillars turning into butterflies and all kinds of thinly veiled metaphors. 

May you always have a shell in your pocket and sand between your toes!

Anguilla 2012

Holiday Happenings!

 Here is a new painting currently showing at the Howard/Mandville Gallery 'Holiday Showcase'. 

Exhibition runs through December 31st.

'Hallows Eve Revelry'..........oil on canvas panel...........12x16 inches

Seasons Greetings!

The New Year is almost upon us and although it seems the Mayan apocalyptic predictions were a tad bit exaggerated, I still think they might have foreseen all this wacky weather we’ve been having.  

Just got back from the Caribbean and it was beautiful, just the most perfect weather ever, a good twenty degrees warmer than Los Angeles and who knows how much warmer than parts further North.  Ben and I snorkeled in crystal blue waters on white sand beaches, took in some Reggae music (and rum)  at the local bars, and mostly relaxed and recharged from a busy 2012.  Now it’s back to work and I’m gradually settling into my studio once again to create some exciting new works for 2013 and getting ready for my Ojai plein air workshop in April (looking forward to painting those rolling hills in the beautiful Ojai countryside!)

Currently I am participating in a few Holiday group shows that will be closing by the end of December.
If you still have some last minute (or post Christmas) shopping to do, now’s your chance to snag that miniature piece for your loved one!

CURRENT EXHIBITIONS:

 22nd Annual Holiday Miniatures Show

'Sacred Spaces'.........oil on canvas panel........8x10 inches

 My painting 'Sacred Spaces' is currently on display at the Abend Gallery's  

22nd Annual Miniatures Show. 

For more info and to view online exhibition click here.

Annual Winter Miniatures Show

'Post Holiday Blues'.........oil on canvas panel.........11x11 inches

I am also participating in the Annual Winter Miniatures Show hosted by Sage Creek Gallery.

Exhibition will be on display through January 2013! 

For more info and to view online exhibition click here.

UPCOMING 2013 WORKSHOP:

Plein Air Painting in Ojai, CA 

April 1st - 5th, 2013

There are still available spaces left in my upcoming plein air painting workshop located in Ojai, CA.
Space is limited so be sure to sign up to reserve your spot!

For more info and workshop details click here.

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May the Holidays bring you much contentment, inspiration, organic cinnamon and free-range joy and may your New Year be prosperous, peaceful and magical!

Ben and Jennifer - Anguilla 2012

Autumn's Awesome Adventures!

Below is one of my recent paintings 'Idling on P3' which will be included in my upcoming two person show at Abend Gallery

'Idling on P3'.........oil on canvas panel.........9x12 inches

Greetings and Happy Autumn!

Summer is winding down and Fall is on the rise. The rise of Fall has begun. Rise Fall, rise. It’s still too hot for me, and the rest of the world too. Something’s got to give though, can’t stay hot forever (I hope!) Anyway, with the cool breeze of the California Autumn comes additional delights, like brisk evening walks, colorful assortment of gourds and giant orange harvest moons hanging low on the horizon. But enough looking to the warm glow of the future, let’s reflect a little on the past and present as I share some snippets of exciting recent events and the McChristian news!

CURRENT / UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS:

 

'Reverence'.........oil on panel..........15x18 inches

1st Annual Figurative Show

My painting ‘Reverence’ is currently on display for the 1st Annual Figurative Show at the Sage Creek Gallery in Santa Fe, NM. Show runs until October 30th, 2012.
To view online exhibition click here. 

'The Query'........oil on panel......12x15 inches

2012 OPA Western Regional Exhibition

I am also delighted to share that my painting ‘The Query’ was recently accepted into the OPA Western Regional Exhibition which opened on October 5th at the beautiful Gallery 1261 in Denver, CO.
To view online exhibition click here.

'Sentinel'.........oil on canvas panel.........8x10 inches

Three Person Show

This month I will also be participating in a three person show at Abend Gallery in Denver, CO. I will be displaying exciting new works alongside the bold and gorgeous paintings of the talented Sandra Pratt and Zhaoming Wu. Opening reception is on October 26th from 5 to 9pm.
For more info and to view online exhibition click here.

NEWS AND EVENTS:

I am extremely pleased to share that I have garnered several awards in the past several months!  My painting ‘Traipsing in Trastevere’ received the OPA Donor’s Award of Excellence at the 21st Annual Oil Painters of America National Exhibition. My painting 'The Query' recently received Award of Excellence from the OPA Western Regional Exhibition which just opened last week at Gallery 1261!
I also received Best of Show from the BoldBrush May 2012 online competition. Woo Hoo!
In addition to all that awesomely good news I had the pleasure of being a guest speaker on the Artist Mentors Online hosted by the wonderful and gracious Linda Fisler and Blanche McAlister Harris.
Click here to listen to my fun interview as I share informative tips and insights on painting and teaching. Speaking of teaching, I was very honored and thrilled to have been invited to the 4th Annual Weekend with the Masters event which took place in beautiful San Diego last month. I had a blast teaching wonderful students and meeting awesome painters! Below is a pic of me teaching at the Torrey Pines Gliderport in San Diego during the Weekend with the Masters event. Good times!

First day of workshop at Torrey Pines Gliderport

2013 PLEIN AIR PAINTING WORKSHOPS:

I am excited to announce that my 2013 plein air painting workshops have finally been posted!

For more info and registration details click here.

On a totally unrelated note, I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the final flight of the space shuttle Endeavor!  Flew directly overhead just as I stepped out of my house! Looked like some surreal sky whale pack with its two fighter jet dolphins escorting its slow tour of LA.
Weird and awe inspiring! Right place at the right time again :-)

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Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I hope it helps to give some kind of insight into my mind and general cosmology. I'm off to market now to purchase some pumpkins and irregularly shaped gourds. The fine smell of the cinnamon broom is perfuming my art studio, and soon small goblins and witches will be asking for sugary handouts!  

Have a fun filled Autumn with a Spooky Halloween and a Grateful Thanksgiving!

Serendipitous Summer

Here is one of my recent paintings of a cannon chamber in the Castel Sant D'Angelo from our Rome trip in Autumn 2011

'Cannon Room'..........oil on panel............9x12 inches

Greetings and Happy Summer!

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer! It’s been a long time coming, still not quite as hot as I’d like or remember from summers past.  But with this year’s wacky weather I should be careful what I wish for...don’t want it to turn out like that old Twilight Zone, you know the one.  

Recently returned from teaching a plein air workshop at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA. My, how I love that place!  Stone hot tubs with natural mineral water right on the cliffside overlooking the Pacific Ocean!  We stayed in the Artist’s Yurt; a small cylindrical wood cabin nestled in the hillside with ocean views.  We dined on organic food grown right on the property on a five thousand year old compost begun by the Esalen tribe of Native Americans.  On the second to last day I accidentally cut a small piece of my thumb off with the dangerously sharp grapefruit knife, so a part of me has most likely joined the five thousand year old compost  (or been inadvertently ingested by a vegan).  Imagine that, straight from vegan to cannibal, no middle step.  That’s soooo Esalen.  Like a riddle, wrapped in an enigma, and buried at the bottom of the sea.  How cool is that! I have included few pics of the workshop, but first a few quick announcements on my 'American Artist Magazine' article, upcoming OPA exhibition at the Evergreen Gallery and my 3 day plein air workshop at the Weekend With the Masters in September 2012.

NEW ARTICLE!

I am very excited to share that I have a new article about me in the July/August issue of American Artist Magazine! Copies are currently available at most major newsstands.
You can also order your copy online by clicking here

UPCOMING SHOWS:

My new painting ‘Traipsing in Trastevere’ was juried into OPA's  '21st Annual National Juried Exhibition of Traditional Oils'. This wonderful event will be held at the beautiful Evergreen Fine Art Gallery in Colorado.
Opening reception is on Friday, June 22nd from 5 to 10pm.
For detailed information regarding this event click here

'Traipsing in Trastevere'.........oil on panel.........14x17 inches

2012 WORKSHOPS:

 I will be teaching three 'one day' plein air painting workshops this September at the 'Weekend With the Masters' in San Diego, CA.
The workshops are filling up fast so make sure to reserve your spot soon!
For details regarding registration, lodging and fees click here

ESALEN WORKSHOP,  JUNE 2012 PICS:

First day of workshop! 

 Students Usana, Terry and Jodie hard at work

 Here I am critiquing student while

holding up my freshly injured thumb to slow down bleeding

 The lovely Esalen gardens

 Hubby Ben enjoying his 43rd birthday at Esalen

 My awesome students! 

Clockwise from upper left: Ben (workshop assistant), Carol, Lucy, Mary, Janice,

Georgia, Vanessa, Terry, Jennifer (instructor), Usana, Donna, Sharon 

(Jodi missing from pic)

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Thank you for taking the time to read my blog.
May you have a radiant, inspiring and adventurous Summer!

Momentous May Musings

'View from the Ferris Wheel'......oil on canvas panel......16x20 inches

Hola Bloggamigos!

What better way to usher in the summertime than to celebrate the festive Cinco de Mayo, when Mexico kicked French butt in the battle of Puebla!  This weekend I’ll be in Fredericksburg, Texas for the opening of my three person show ‘The Color of Life’ at the InSight Gallery. So excited!
We’ll be sticking around to see how this town founded on German pioneers will celebrate the historic and at the time unlikely Spanish victory over the French forces! I’m hoping to see some bar brawls myself, with lots of accordions, lederhosen, French cursing, and masked Mexican wrestlers! I suppose I should be careful what I wish for. Vive La Difference!

UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS: 

'The Color of Life'

'The Color of Life' three person show opens this weekend at the beautiful, newly renovated InSight Gallery located in the heart of Fredericksburg, TX.

Artists' opening reception on May 4th from 6 to 8pm.

For more info and to view online exhibition click here

2012 SUMMER / FALL PLEIN AIR WORKSHOPS:

I’ll be teaching two more workshops in 2012. One spot just opened up for the June plein air painting workshop at 'Esalen' and there is still time to register. In September, I will be teaching at the 'Weekend With the Masters'.  This workshop is filling up fast so make sure to reserve your spot soon!

For more detailed information on workshops please click here or go to:

http://jennifermcchristian.com/workshops

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That’s all for now and many thanks for taking the time to read my blog.
Hope you all have a spectacular and sumptuous summer!